Capsule for infusion products

ABSTRACT

Capsule for infusion products comprising: a cup-shaped body provided with a first base wall and with a first side wall defining a cavity open at the top; a tubular body arranged in the cup-shaped body and provided with at least a second side wall, which originates from the first base wall of the cup-shaped body, is provided with one end and defines a passage duct; and a first closing element arranged in contact with the side wall of the cup-shaped body to close the cavity. The capsule for infusion products also includes a second closing element arranged at the end of the tubular body to close the passage duct. The first closing element and the second closing element are in particular permanently connected to one another to rise both together, in use, thus freeing the end of the tubular body.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application claims priority from Italian patent application no. 102019000001101 filed on Jan. 24, 2019, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a capsule for infusion products.

The present invention finds advantageous application to an infusion product, in powder, in solid pieces or in leaf such as e.g. coffee, barley, milk powder, tea, chamomile, vegetable soup or meat soup, to which the following description will make explicit reference without thereby losing its generality.

PRIOR ART

The known capsules for infusion products comprise a cup-shaped body provided with a base wall and with at least a side wall, which define a cavity housing the infusion product. The cup-shaped body is usually made of plastic or biodegradable material and is closed by a closing element. Usually, the closing element is made of a plastic material, e.g. a perforable film. The closing element can include some material weakened areas configured to be torn and form the holes through which the pressurized water is injected. Alternatively, the holes through which the pressurized water is injected can be instantly made upon injection of the pressurized water into the capsule by means of perforating means of the machine for the extraction of infusion products.

A tubular body originates from the base wall of the cup-shaped body through which the obtained infused product flows out of the capsule. The closing element of the cup-shaped body and the tubular body may be connected, preferably welded, or may not be connected. The infused product is obtained by inserting the capsule inside a percolation chamber of the machine for the extraction of infusion products, which perforates the closing element and injects the hot pressurized water into the cup-shaped body to mix it with the infusion product. Therefore, the injected water mixes with the infusion product, flows into the tubular body and flows out of the capsule through holes in the base wall of the cup-shaped body. Also in this case, the holes in the base wall may already be present or may be made by means of special perforating means inside the percolation chamber.

In the capsules in which the tubular body is welded to the lid that closes the cup-shaped body, during the injection of the water into the cup-shaped body of the capsule, due to the pressure increase inside it, the closing element rises from the end of the tubular body, thus defining a passage between the inside of the cup-shaped body and the inside of the tubular body. A first drawback of these capsules consists in the fact that the closing element closing the cup-shaped body does not always rise precisely at the tubular body. A second drawback consists in the fact that since the closing element is welded to the end of the tubular body, it tears off near the junction areas. A third drawback consists in the fact that the pressure inside the cup can be so high that the film bursts, tearing off and creating unpleasant splashes in the underlying container (e.g. in the cup, glass or plate).

The capsules in which the tubular body is not connected to the lid, on the other hand, have the unpleasant drawback that by manipulating the capsule a part of the infusion product can involuntarily escape from the capsule through the free tubular body, thus dirtying the secondary packaging and therefore indirectly dirtying the outer surface of the capsule and consequently the user's hands, or dirtying the surrounding environment. Moreover, a part of the infusion product usually infiltrates inside the aforementioned tubular body and falls into the container even before mixing with the water and creating the infused product.

It is clear that the drawbacks described above are absolutely to be avoided, because the user wants to handle the capsule without getting her/his hands or the surrounding environment dirty and also wants to enjoy an infused product free of infusion product residues (and therefore not yet mixed with water) accidentally dropped in the container.

Furthermore, the known capsules are not suitable to be used to make infusion products comprising solid or leaf pieces (which therefore are not soluble and are therefore also present in the final product), such as soups. In fact, the known capsules (described for example in WO2012080928, WO2019008523 and WO20212117383) comprise filtering elements and foaming elements that are not compatible with making soups. In fact, if the infused product to be obtained must include ingredients with solid or leaf pieces (which are therefore not soluble and are therefore also present in the final product), the presence of a filtering element does not allow obtaining this result. Furthermore, in these types of infusion products a foam is not desired, and therefore also the foaming elements are not necessary.

Description of the Invention

The purpose of the present invention is therefore to provide a capsule for infusion products that is free from the drawbacks of the state of the art and that is easy and inexpensive to manufacture. The present invention therefore provides a capsule for infusion products as claimed in the attached claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a better understanding of the invention, several embodiments are described purely by way of example, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a section view of a capsule made according to a first embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 2 is a section view of the capsule of FIG. 1 according to a second embodiment.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

In FIGS. 1 and 2, the number 1 generally indicates as a whole a capsule for infusion products configured to be placed in a percolation chamber of a machine for the extraction of infusion products.

The capsule 1 comprises a cup-shaped body 2 provided with a bottom wall 3 and a side wall 4 defining a cavity 5, which is open at the top. The cavity 5 is configured to house the infusion product. The infusion product can be in powder, solid pieces or in leaf, such as e.g. coffee, barley, milk powder, tea, chamomile, freeze-dried vegetables or freeze-dried meat. Preferably, the infused product comprises a vegetable and/or meat soup that has solid or leafy ingredients.

The capsule 1 further comprises a tubular body 6 arranged in the cup-shaped body 2 and provided with at least one side wall 7 that originates from the base wall 3 of the cup-shaped body 2, provided with an upper end 8 and defining a passage duct 9 for the infused product. The tubular body 8 is open at the top, namely it does not have an upper wall closing the passage duct 9. In other words, the end 8 is open.

Advantageously, the tubular body 6 has a truncated cone shape.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the base wall 3 is provided with a hole 10 at the tubular body 6. In other words, the tubular body 6 originates from the base wall 3 at the hole 10.

Optionally, a drip-breaker element (not shown) can be arranged at the hole 10, said element comprising for example a valve and being configured to prevent that at the end of use of the capsule 1 the infused product may have an uncontrolled flow dripping from the capsule 1 dirtying the hands of the user and/or the surrounding environment. The tubular body 6 has a height (i.e. a longitudinal extension) substantially equal to the height (i.e. to the longitudinal extension) of the cup-shaped body 2. Alternatively, the tubular body 6 has a height (i.e. the longitudinal extension) smaller than the height (i.e. the longitudinal extension) of the cup-shaped body 2. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the capsule 1 is further provided with a closing element 11 arranged in contact with the side wall 4 of the cup-shaped body 2 to close the cavity 5. The closing element 11 is connected to the cup-shaped body 2, for example by gluing or welding at the upper perimeter of the side wall 4. Usually, the closing element 11 is made of plastic material, such as e.g. a film, suitably perforable directly inside the percolation chamber of the machine for the extraction of infusion products to allow the entry of the pressurized water inside the cup-shaped body 2.

Advantageously, the water is heated.

Moreover, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the capsule comprises a closing element 12 arranged at the end 8 of the tubular body 6 to close the passage duct 9. In other words, the closing element 12 is arranged on or in the end 8 so as to close the passage duct 9 and to prevent the infusion product from escaping from the capsule 1 before being mixed with the water in the machine for the extraction of infusion products.

The closing element 11 and the closing element 12 are connected, in particular permanently (e.g. by welding or gluing), to each other to rise in unison (i.e. remaining integral with each other) thus freeing the end 8 of the tubular body 6. This permanent connection allows the closing elements 11 and 12 to move together (essentially as a single body) under the action of the pressure in the capsule 1 exerted by the injected water, as will be better described later.

The closing element 12 is permanently connected (i.e. welded or glued, for example with strong glue) only to the closing element 11, whereas the closing element 12 is non-permanently (i.e. releasably) connected to the end 8 of the tubular body 6.

The closing element 12 is connected, for example, by means of an interlocking connection, by gluing with weak glue or by means of a peelable seal (or peelable material) at the end 8 of the tubular body 6. The connection between the closing element 12 and the tubular element 6 must be such to allow an at least partial removal of the closing element (in particular by removing or detaching it) from the end 8 of the tubular body 6, under the action of the pressure exerted by the injected water in the capsule 1, as will be described in detail below.

The closing element 12 can be made of polymer material, metal material, biodegradable material or of a peelable material (such as peelable aluminium or a peelable film). According to a first embodiment not shown, the closing element 12 comprises only a disk defining a base wall 13 of the closing element 12. In particular, in this case, the closing element 12 is connected to the end 8 of the tubular body 6, preferably by gluing or by means of a peelable seal.

The base wall 13 has a complementary shape and size with respect to the end 8 of the tubular body 6 in which it is arranged, to close the passage duct 9.

According to an alternative embodiment, the closing element 12 comprises the base wall 13 and a side wall 14 arranged in contact, preferably by means of an interlocking connection, with the side wall 7 of the tubular element 6. In particular, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the side wall 14 originates from the base wall 13. The side wall 14 is arranged substantially transverse, in particular perpendicular, with respect to the base wall 13. The side wall 14 can have an annular shape or can be made by one or more flaps projecting from the base wall 13 and suitably spaced from each other.

According to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the base wall 13 has a size (i.e. the diameter) substantially approximately equal to the size (i.e. the diameter) of the passage duct 9. Therefore, according to this embodiment, only the side wall 14 engages the tubular body 6. According to the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the base wall 13 has a size (i.e. the diameter) greater than the size (i.e. the diameter) of the passage duct 9. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the side wall 14 engages the tubular body 6 on the inside, while the base wall 13 is arranged against the end 8 of the tubular body to close the passage duct 9. As clearly shown by FIG. 2, the side wall 7 surrounds the side wall 14 on the outside. Therefore, the side wall 7 houses the side wall 14.

According to a possible alternative embodiment, not shown, the base wall 13 has a size (i.e. the diameter) greater than the size (i.e. the diameter) of the passage duct 9 and on the outside engages the tubular body 6, while the base wall 13 is in abutment with respect to the end 8 of the tubular body to close the passage duct 9. Therefore, if compared to FIG. 2 in this embodiment, the side wall 14 surrounds the side wall 7 on the outside.

Therefore, the side wall 14 houses the side wall 7.

The cup-shaped body 2 and the tubular body 6 are preferably made in one piece. Alternatively, the cup-shaped body 2 and the tubular body 6 are made of two distinct elements, which are suitably connected with fixing means.

The cup-shaped body 2 and the tubular element 6 are made of polymer material, metal material (such as e.g. aluminium) or biodegradable material.

The closing element 12 is at least partially removed or detached from the tubular body 6 to ensure that the solid or leaf pieces of the infused product reach the container upon increasing the pressure in the capsule 1 and due to the injection of pressurized water. In particular, by rising the closing element 11 of the cup-shaped body 2 under the action of the inner pressure in the capsule 1, said closing element 11 carries with it, and then removes or detaches, the closing element 12 that is integral with it.

In the event that the connection between the closing element 12 and the end 8 is made by gluing with weak glue, by means of a peelable seal or with a material that allows an easy detachment, under the action of the inner pressure in the capsule 1, the closing element 12 and the end 8 are at least partially disconnected to free the passage, thus allowing the infused product and the solid or leaf pieces of the infused product to flow into the tubular body 6. In the event that the connection between the closing element 12 and the end 8 is achieved by interlocking, the partial or complete extraction depends on the height (i.e.

the size along the longitudinal extension) of the side wall and/or on the pressure inside the capsule 1. If the closing element 12 is made so as to allow its complete removal from the tubular body 6, it is evident that there is no element that hinders the feeding of the infused product, and in particular of its solid or leaf pieces, into the tubular body 6.

If, on the other hand, the closing element 12 is made so as to allow its partial removal from the tubular body 6, the side wall 14 of the closing element 12 or the side wall 7 of the lateral body 6 have one or more passage openings (not shown) that allow the solid or leaf pieces of the infused product to pass into the tubular body 6. If the side wall 14 has an annular shape, the passage openings comprise through holes or notches. The openings can for example be substantially circular, rectangular or elliptical in shape. If the side wall 14 is formed by a single flap protruding from the base wall 13, the passage opening includes the empty space around the flap, i.e. the empty space surrounding the flap, whereas, if the side wall is formed by several flaps, the passage openings are made of the empty space, in particular of the empty interstitial portions (in which therefore the side wall 14 is missing) between two successive flaps. Therefore, the flaps are alternated with the empty interstitial portions forming the passage openings.

Alternatively, the passage openings can be formed at the side wall 7 of the tubular body 6. The passage openings comprise through holes or notches. The openings can for example be substantially circular, rectangular or elliptical in shape.

It is clear that the passage openings of the closing element 12 or of the side wall 7 of the side body 6 must have a size that allows the solid or leaf pieces of the infused product to flow into the passage duct 9. Therefore, the passage openings must not act as a filter, namely they must not retain the solid or leaf pieces of the infused product.

Advantageously, the capsule 1 is free of filtering elements or foaming elements arranged at the end 8 of the tubular body 6. The filtering elements are not desired, because they hinder the passage of the solid or leaf pieces of the product infused into the tubular body 6, which is instead desired. The foaming elements are not necessary because in the case of a product infused with solid or leaf pieces of the infused product, foam is not desired.

In use, the capsule 1 is inserted inside the percolation chamber of the machine for the extraction of infusion products, the closing element 11 is perforated by special perforating means inside the percolation chamber and hot pressurized water is injected through the holes into the cup-shaped body 2 to be mixed with the infusion product. The injected water mixes with the infusion product, thus creating the infused product that flows into the tubular body 6 and comes out of the capsule 1 through the hole 10 in the base wall 3 of the cup-shaped body 2. By increasing the pressure in the capsule 1, the closing element 11 rises and flexes.

Since the closing element 11 is permanently connected to the closing element 12, by rising the closing element 11 also the integral closing element 12 rises. In this way, the end 8 is freed, thus allowing the infused product to flow into the tubular body 6 (in particular into the passage duct 9) and through the hole 10 to reach the container (such as for example the cup, the glass or the plate).

The capsule 1 described so far has a plurality of advantages.

Primarily, during the manipulation of the capsule 1 the infusion product remains in the cavity 5 and cannot involuntarily reach the tubular body 6. The capsule 1 has an improved filling, since by pouring the infusion product into the cavity 5 there is no risk that the infusion product particles may involuntarily settle into the tubular body 6. The closing element 12 therefore completely eliminates the risk that the infusion product that has not yet been infused may fall into the container below. Since the closing element 12 therefore prevents the passage between the inside of the cavity 5 and the inside of the tubular body 6, during the handling of the capsule 1 the infusion product does not infiltrate the secondary packaging.

By making the capsule 1 of biodegradable material, it turns out to be ecological and non-polluting. 

1. A capsule for infusion products comprising: a cup-shaped body including a first base wall and first side wall defining a cavity, a top of the cavity being open; a tubular body arranged in the cup-shaped body, the tubular body including at least one second wall originating from the first base wall of the cup-shaped body, the at least one second wall including an end and defines a passage duct; a first closing element arranged in contact with the side wall of the cup-shaped body to close the cavity; and a second closing element arranged at the end of the tubular body to close the passage duct, the first closing element and the second closing element being permanently connected to one another to rise together in use to free the end of the tubular body.
 2. The capsule of claim 1, wherein the second closing element is one of welded to and glued to the first closing element.
 3. The capsule of claim 1, wherein the second closing element is connected to the end of the tubular body in a non-permanent connection, wherein the non-permanent connection includes one or more of an interlocking connection, gluing with a weak glue, and a peelable seal.
 4. The capsule of claim 1, wherein the second closing element comprises one or more of a second base wall and/or a third side wall arranged in contact with the second side wall of the tubular element; and wherein the one or more of the second base wall and the third side wall is in abutment with respect to the end of the tubular body to close the passage duct.
 5. The capsule of claim 4, wherein the second base wall has a shape and a size that are complementary to the end of the tubular body in which it is arranged to close the passage duct.
 6. The capsule of claim 4, wherein the third side wall of the second closing element engages the second side wall of the tubular body on the outside or on the inside.
 7. The capsule of claim 1, wherein one or more of the third side wall of the closing element and the second side wall of the tubular body are provided with one or more passage openings, which allow solid or leaf pieces of the infusion product to pass into the tubular body.
 8. The capsule of claim 1, wherein the cup-shaped body and the tubular body are made in a single piece.
 9. The capsule of claim 1, wherein the cup-shaped body and the tubular element are made of one or more of a polymer material, metal material, and a biodegradable material.
 10. The capsule of claim 1, wherein the closing element is made of one or more of a polymer material, metal material, of a biodegradable material, and a peelable material. 